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Former MPD Officer’s Lawyer Says He’ll Argue That George Floyd ‘Killed Himself’

Former Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane’s lawyer said he plans to argue that George Floyd “killed himself” and no officer was responsible for his death.

Floyd died during an arrest May 25, 2020 after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for over nine minutes. His death sparked protests around the country that are still continuing today, and all four officers at the scene that day have been charged.

Chauvin was charged with murder and Lane, Alexander Keung and Tou Thao have been charged as accomplices. Although two autopsies determined Floyd’s death to be a homicide, Lane’s lawyer Earl Gray said he will argue none of the officers killed him, the LA Times reported.

“None of these guys — even Chauvin — actually killed him,” according to Gray. “He killed himself.”

Gray’s defense argument, he added, will use toxicology and autopsy reports. The lawyer will argue that Floyd actually died from overdosing on fentanyl, an opioid. Gray will also argue that Floyd had an underlying heart condition, the LA Times reported.

“We are going to show that my client and the other cops were doing their jobs,” Gray said.

Lane’s lawyer noted in a motion July 7 that Minneapolis police training included a section detailing how to handle a suspect who is not cooperating. The motion included a photograph that shows a method of arrest similar to what the officers did, according to the LA Times.

“Sudden cardiac arrest typically occurs immediately following a violent struggle,” the instructions warn.

The Minneapolis City Council banned the use of chokeholds and neck restraints by officers in June following Floyd’s death.

COLUMN BY

SHELBY TALCOTT

Media reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Tucker Carlson Discusses George Floyd Footage: ‘Citizens Have A Right To Know Why Things Are Changing So Quickly’

Fox News host Tucker Carlson discussed recently released police bodycam footage reportedly showing some of the final moments before George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.

The footage, obtained and released Monday by British outlet The Daily Mail, purportedly shows Floyd struggling and arguing with officers before the infamous already-released footage of the Minneapolis black man laying under former officer Derek Chauvin’s knee.

“Floyd’s death has been used to justify a nationwide convulsion of violence, destruction, looting and in some cases killing — and all of that in addition to unprecedented levels of political upheaval. The wholesale reordering of our most basic institutions,” Carlson said, referring to ongoing riots and protests during Monday night’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” opening monologue. “Floyd’s death changed everything. It was a pivot point in American history. No matter what side you’re on, that’s very clear at this point.”

WATCH:

Carlson contended that, while “it’s striking how little we really know, months later, about how exactly George Floyd died,” the “official storyline is clear,” and questioning it has become taboo.

“The media, meantime, aren’t that curious about gathering further details, and they’re actively hostile to anyone who is,” he said. “Ask too many inconvenient unauthorized questions about George Floyd and you’ll be banned from the internet. The catechism has been written and it’s in stone: ‘George Floyd is a martyr. Period. That’s all you need to know. Shut up.”

However, the Fox News host argued that free citizens “have a right to know why things are changing so quickly.”

“On what grounds are we dismantling police departments, rewriting curriculums, firing people from their jobs?” he asked. “What exactly is the basis of the cultural revolution that we’re all now living through?”

However, the Fox News host argued that free citizens “have a right to know why things are changing so quickly.”

“On what grounds are we dismantling police departments, rewriting curriculums, firing people from their jobs?” he asked. “What exactly is the basis of the cultural revolution that we’re all now living through?”